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RB Leipzig are holding internal talks over the position of coach Martin Demichelis, Sky journalists Florian Plettenberg and Philipp Hinze write. Die Roten Bullen have been inconsistent and, with former success coach Julian Nagelsmann available, the Leipzig board are considering a change of course.
Leipzig appointed Demichelis last summer. The former defender, who played among others for Bayern Munich, had big shoes to fill as successor to Ole Werner, who led his side to a respectable third place last season and with it Champions League football.
Werner, a pragmatist by trade, lost his job because the Global Team of Red Bull Soccer, then still led by Jürgen Klopp, wanted more intensity, more attractive football and ultimately a hefty dose of 'Red Bull DNA'.
That decision brought heavy criticism down on Leipzig and Red Bull and, as it now appears, Demichelis has not yet been able to match Leipzig's average of 1.95 points per match, although the season is still young.
Convincing wins over Borussia Mönchengladbach (3-0) and Hamburger SV (5-0) have been mixed with painful defeats to Werder Bremen (3-1), Bayer Leverkusen (2-0) and, in the Champions League, to Como (4-1). Leipzig currently sit ninth in the Bundesliga.
"After this start, the first talks about Demichelis's future are inevitable," writes Sky, which notes that Nagelsmann, who previously guided the club to the semi-finals of the Champions League, has been available since last summer after his departure as Germany head coach. "Part of the management are already considering him."
Whatever happens, Demichelis is heading into a demanding spell, with Bundesliga games against Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayern Munich coming up, as well as Champions League fixtures against PSV and Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, former PSV coach Roger Schmidt, who replaced Klopp at Red Bull on 1 October, wants to take more time to get to know Demichelis's ideas before giving his verdict to the Leipzig board. "October will be crucial for Demichelis," Sky.